"If more of us valued food and cheer and song over hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." - J.R.R. Tolkien

Friday, August 18, 2017

Squid Mixes: Sidecar

via my wife

As with many drinks, the origins of the sidecar are murky. There is agreement over the time period, the end of World War I. But was it London or Paris? The drink was most certainly named for a motorcycle sidecar, but whose?

In our cocktail explorations, the sidecar and its many variations have been a fun discovery. My recipe from The New York City Bartender's Guide calls for brandy, triple sec and lemon juice in 4:2:2 proportion. Most of the brandy we had on hand was congac, not as sweet as our lower shelf brand but certainly nice. The drink itself is sweet but with plenty of tart from the lemon. The flavor reminds me a little of baby asprin, though more pleasant, of course.

Brandy is dangerous. It's a bit like drinking candy. In fact, it occurred to me after experimenting with it that perhaps the flavors of many hard candies are meant to taste like brandy. Don't get me wrong, I like the stuff but I think it's good to be reminded with liquor that one is drinking alcohol.

Cute, isn't she? For the sake of the blog, we shall call her The Little Squirt, as opposed to her older brother, The Big Lug. She is technically bigger than he is but he's definitely the alpha. She also has managed to hang on to her more endearing kitten charms.

And yes, her eyes do match the drink. Didn't notice until you pointed it out.

Merida is much bigger than her brother and she rules with a iron hiss. But she will stick up for him when she thinks he is threatened. thehamish was walking towards Oliver (he never chased them) and she ran over and placed herself between thehamish and hissed and swatted at him. He was confused.

The lemon drop recipe I have in my book is just a vodka shot with sugar and lemon. I remember those from college...

I am guessing what you have in mind, though, is this cocktail: vodka citron, triple sec, lemon juice in 5:4:3 proportion. Interestingly, the drink was popularized in recent years by Oprah Winfrey. Wasn't everything?